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Plane crash occupants identified

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Plane crash occupants identified

The five people on the plane that crashed at the East London Airport on Wednesday morning have been identified.

Willem Nieuwenhuis, his wife, and three children were inside the plane at the time, close family friend Herman Pretorius told News24.

He had spoken to Willem while he was being transported to hospital.

“They were almost on the ground and it all went south. Nobody knows what happened,” he said.

“There are a couple of broken bones and the children are alright. It is just Willem and his wife that are hurt.”

Pretorius said that Willem’s parents had been notified of the crash and were on their way to East London.

“His parents are on their way there and we are waiting for more news, I cannot say more than that,” he said.

Earlier, the Eastern Cape health department confirmed the plane had come from Grahamstown.

Spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo told News24 that the injured had been taken to St Dominic’s Hospital in East London.

The National Arts Festival is currently taking place in Grahamstown, roughly 230kms from East London.

The Airports Company of SA (Acsa) said a runway was closed due to the crash.

“Around 10:15 this [Wednesday] morning, a private aircraft crashed on the main runway of East London airport. Due to the incident, we had to temporarily close that runway, but the second runway is open for business,” spokesperson Colin Naidoo told News24.

He said any incident was always investigated by the SA Civil Aviation Authority.

“They will do their investigation and then issue their report once it is finalised,” Naidoo said.

Jeff Wicks and Adam Wakefield, News24, News24

Related: East London airport runway closed after plane crash

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.